Controller for motors and brakes for electric cars.



Patented Nov. 20, I900.

A. GRUSSMAN. CONTROLLER FOB MOTORS AND BRAKES FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

[Application filed July 5, 19OQ.1

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 662,358. Patented Nov. 20, I900. A. GROSSMAN. CONTROLLER FOR MOTORS AND BRAKES FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

{Application filed July 5. 1900.-

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES ATENT Erich.

ADOLPHE GROSSMAN, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

CONTROLLER FOR MOTORS AND BRAKES FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,358, dated November 2 1900. Application filed July 5, 1900. Serial No. 22,578. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADOLPHE GROSSMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Controllers for Motors and Brakes of Electric Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to controllers for motors and brakes of electric cars; and it is designed more particularly as a simplification of and improvement upon the mechanism disproved motor-controller and brake.

closed in my LettersPatent No. 594,946 of December 7, 1897. Its novelty, utility, and advantages will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my im- Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1 with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the brake-staff and the parts which are arranged thereon, the said parts being shown as separated. Figs. 4 and 5 are inverted plan views of coacting parts of my improvements.

In said drawings similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views, referring to which- A is a suitable support which may be and preferably is the top of the controller-casing of an electric car and is provided with a stop 0/, and also with a suitable index, as shown.

B is an upright brake-staff which extends through the support and is designed to be connected with the brake or brakes of the car by a chain or other means, (not illustrated,) and O is the shaft of the rheostat or controller of an electromotor, the said shaft being hollow, so as to surround the brake-staff, and being provided above the support A with a collar b and a pointer c, which extends radially from the collar, as illustrated. The rheostat or controller and the electromotor in themselves form no part of my invention, and hence are not illustrated.

The brake-staff is provided at its upper end ranged in a corresponding socket e of a crank D and is also provided adjacent to its upper end with a circular enlargement f, having beveled teeth 9 on its upper side. These teeth 9 are designed for the engagement of the interior teeth h of the crank, and by virtue of their provision it will be observed that when the crank is turned toward the right the staff will turn with it, while when the crank is turned toward the left the staff will remain idle, thus enabling the motorman to manipulate the crank in the usual manner. The crank is equipped with a detent-lever t, fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length and normally held in the position shown by a springj and also with a spring-backed plunger 7c, the latter in order to enable the motorman to conveniently move the lower end of the detent-lever outwardly when desired, for a purpose presently described.

E is a disk which is loosely mounted on the hollow shaft 0 below the circular enlargement of the brake-staff and the lower end of the crank and is provided on its upper side with an interiorly-toothed flange Z and on its lower side with a circular series of projections m, and F is a disk which is keyed or otherwise fixed on the hollow shaft 0 below the disk E and is recessed, as indicated by n, to receive the projections m thereof after the manner shown in Fig. 1. The disk F is provided in the wall of the recess n with an aperture p and is also provided with a radial arm 1', slotted as indicated by 8. On the said arm 7* is arrangeda reciprocating bolt 25, which has its inner end reduced, so as to enable it to pass through the aperture 19 of disk F and engage the projections m of disk E and is slotted, as indicated by u,a.1d provided with an upwardly-extending projection o and also with a depending hook to. This latter rests in the slot 8 of arm r and serves to support a coiled spring as, which has for its purpose to press the reciprocating bolt t inwardly or toward the disk F. The slot u of bolt tserves to receive a screw y, through the medium of which the said bolt is connected to the arm 0" of disk F. This screw y also serves for the pivotal connection of a cam 2, which is preferably shaped as shown and superposed on the bolt 15. Said cam is provided with an openinga to receive the projection 'v of the bolt, and the forward walls I) of the opening, which are designed to engage the projection, are disposed at an angle to each other, whereby it will be seen that when the hollow controller-shaft and the disk F are turned either toward the right or left and the cam 2 on the arm r of said disk engages the stop a the cam will be swung on its pivot, and hence will draw the boltt in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 2) and out of engagement with the projections m of disk E. It will also be observed that when the disk F is turned to carry the cam z away from the stop Ct the spring x will operate to move the boltt inwardly into engagement with the projections m of disk E and through the medium of the bolt will return the cam to and normally hold it in the position shown in Fig. 2.

In the practical operation of my improved controller and brake when the car is running and it is desired to stop the same the motorinan first presses on the plunger 70, so as to force the lower end of the lever i into engagement with the toothed flange l of disk E, and

thereby fix the said disk to the crank D. He

' then turns the crank toward the right, when,

as will-be readily observed,the brakestafhthe disk E, the disk F, and the hollow controllershaft 0 will rotate together toward the right until the cam 2 brings up against the stop a, when thesaid hollow shaft 0 will have turned sufficiently far to cut ofi the current from the motor. When the cam z brings up against the stop a, as stated, the bolt of disk F is automatically disengaged from the disk E in the manner before described, and hence while the hollow shaft 0 and disk F remain idle the disk E is free to move with the brakestaff and the crank when the same are further turned to the right to apply the brakes. Thus it will be seen that in the event of the motorman neglecting to disengage the detentlever '21 from the disk E when the cam .2 brings up against the stop a no breakage of or damage to the parts will ensue, which is an important advantage.

When it is desired to start the car, the brake-staif above is turned toward the left until the brakes are released. The plunger 70 is then depressed, so as to force the detentlever *i into engagement with the toothed flange l of disk E, and the movement of the crank toward the left is continued until the disk F and hollow shaft 0 are turned sufficiently far to the left to supply the desired amount of current to the motor. If the said disk F and shaft 0 are turned toward the left until the camon the arm 0 of the former brings up against the stop a and the motorman continues to turn the crank D without releasing the disk E therefrom, no injury to the parts will result, since the cam will autom'atic'ally disengage the disk F from disk E in the manner before described. 7 It will be readily appreciated from the foregoing that the arrangement of the brake-staff in the hollow controller or rheostat shaft renders my improved mechanism very simple, compact, and inexpensive, and it will also be appreciated that the mechanism is safe and reliable in operation and embodies no parts that are likely to get out of order.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is-'-= 1. The combination with a brake, and a controllervfor the motor of an electricallypropelled vehicle; of a handle for operating the brake, a connecting device movable with the controller, a part movable independent of the controller and arranged to be engaged by the connecting device, means for automatically disengaging the connecting device from said independentlyonovable part, and means for connecting the handle with the independently-movable part. i

2. The combination with a brake, and a controller for the motor of an electricallypropelled vehicle; of a handle for the brake, a latch movable with the controller, a loose part mounted on the controllerand arranged to be engaged by the latch, means for auto matically disengaging the latch from said loose part, and means for connecting the handle with the loose part.

3. In a controller for motors and brakes of electrically-propelled vehicles, the com bination of a brake-stafi, a controller-shaft arranged concentrically thereto, a latch connected and movable with the controller-shaft, a part adapted to be engaged by the latch and move with the controller-shaft, and also adapted, when disengaged from the latch, to move independent of the shaft, operating connections between the brake-staff and said part, and means for automaticallydi'sengaging the latch from said part.

4. In a controller for motors and brakes of electrically-propelled vehicles, the combination of a brake-stafi, a hollow controllershaft surrounding the same, a disk fixed on the controller-shaft and carrying a latch, a disk loose with respect to the controller-shaft, and having projections arranged to be engaged by the latch, a crank for turning the brake-stafi, 'an adjustable device thereon for engaging the loose disk, and automatic means for disengaging the latch from the loose disk.

5. In a controller for motors and brakes of electrically-propelled vehicles, the combination of a support, a stop thereon, a brakestaff, a hollow controller-shaft surrounding the same, a disk fixed on the controller-shaft,

disk loose with respect to the controller-shaft In testimony whereof I have hereunto set and adapted 'to be engaged by the springmy hand in presence of two subscribing wit pressed bolt, a crank, a ratchet connection nesses.

between the crank and brake-staff, and an I ADOLPHE GROSSMAN. 5 adjustable device on the crank adapted to WVitnesses:

engage the loose disk, substantially as speci- HENRY J. HOLLE,

fied. ALVA M. HOLBROOK. 

